In August of 2011, a Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge granted a motion dismissing 39 drug cases. These charges we mainly possession-level offenses. The judge dismissed these motions on the grounds that the statute controlling the issue (Chapter 893 of the Florida Statutes) was unconstitutional as the law did not require the state to prove that the accused had knowledge that they were in possession of an illegal substance.

Just yesterday, the 3rd District Court of Appeal struck down the judge's order and reversed his ruling. It appears that for now, Florida's drug laws will remain constitutional in the eyes of our higher courts.